A Far Better Thing
by eckles
Summary: 1st Ever HP FicWritten before HP&DH. When Ron believes that Hermione is in love with Harry and that his love for her is unrequited he sacrifices himself to Death Eaters, in the guise of Harry, so the pair can escape to safety and continue with the Hunt.
1. Chapter 1

The young man known to many as the _Boy-who-lived_ leaned back contently in the private booth that he and his two best friends had claimed amongst a sea of his former Hogwarts students and the other residents of the magical village of Hogsmeade. In this moment he allowed himself to smile with a sly air of satisfaction, similar to that of a cat that had just finished devouring an annoying and loud canary and had left no evidence of its crime to the shared owners.

The fireplace at the far end of the room roared triumphantly over the murmuring din of gossip that had been spurred by his sudden return and presence in Hogsmeade. Yet despite the ruckus and various whispers that the _'Boy-who-lived'_ arrival had prompted among the wizarding and witch community neither one of the three-person-party could challenge the idea to stopping in at their old haunt, the _'Three Broom Sticks'_ for a bit of a celebration drink.

Their joyous emotions made this locale the most fitting of places to offer the trio a drink of Butter Beers, and maybe a couple of 'under the counter' Fire-Whiskey's if Madam Rosmertta was so in the mood. Yet even though the '_Boy-who-lived'_ was quietly content and displaying to all a smile that was broad enough to play a game of Quidditch over, it was not the success earlier in the week of claiming their first Horcrux that the famous Harry Potter drew his merriment from.

No, the happiness that swelled deep in his heart stemmed from another cause. And he had to fight hard to suppress a rising laugh as he bore witness, for the hundredth time, since the 'Horcrux-Hunt' began a direct contest of stubborn wills between two of his dearest friends. It was a battle of verbal dominance, a War that would result in no victor and which only revealed what was already plain to everyone who knew the pair.

It was also the source, at present, of a bulk of the various murmurings taking place in the pleasant drinking establishment and amused expressions of some of the Hogwort students presently on leave from the Magical Academy.

From the verbal fire waged between the two everyone could easily guess, except for the participants of course, the true nature of their 'war'. The jibes and words flowed with ease across the tongues and out the mouth of the brown haired female and the red-headed male, each careful in not saying anything particularly insulting to the other which could ruin their friendship. But certainly cutting enough to cause irritation. But still, even through the undercurrent of accusations made, it was clear that there was a solid and deep affection held for the other and that the words were just a concealment of repression towards long-standing feelings.

It was during a momentary lull as both parties tried to think up a fresh supply of verbal ammunition to use that Harry chose to take a moment and give a silent thanks to the very special people who embraced his life. The Weasley's, the Granger's, the staff and selected students of Hogwarts, Hagrid, and of coarse the departed Dumbledore and Sirius. These people were all very important to him. But none did he give thanks, or hold above any other more then the two who were sitting directly opposite from him now. These two were the true treasures of his life and Harry couldn't help but think fondly of the Wedding and its Reception a fortnight earlier. Or of the seeds of self-discovery which were planted that day from a grateful older brother that had led to this unblissful moment of joy.

It was his and Hermione's first ever '_Wizard Wedding'_. And as such, he and the muggle-witch, both took great care to memorize the customs and proceedings of the event in question. As they both expected one-day, that if they ever married another magic-wielder it would be understood that they might have to participate in the various traditions involved.

Hermione, that week, had taken a very keen interest in the on-goings, more so then he did, and she followed Mrs. Wealsey around _'The Burrow'_ asking all manner of questions related too the ceremony. Doing her best to vie whether these customs were exclusive to Full-Blooded Families only or if they could include Half-Blood or Muggle Union's as well.

With a bright and fond recollection, the famous _Boy-who-lived_, recounted in his mind the evening of Bill's announcement to his gathered family on the eve of the ceremony. What was tabled was the subject of anxiety within the Burrow as it was to reveal a Role of great importance for the Wizarding Wedding. The recently werewolf-scarred Weasley-son had to select a '_Intentus Specialsissimus_' and he had nominated Ron to assume this very significant place-of-honor during and after the ceremony.

Ron was to be Bill's 'Intended Individual'. This choice caught all present by complete surprise. But none were more surprised at this tribute then Ron. Charlie, of course, was taken slightly aback by this selection. As it seemed the elder brother had hoped for this great honor for himself. But by the end of the shocked discussion that followed he was not so much offended in permitting his youngest brother this privilege as it meant in doing so afforded him more time to socialize with Fleur's single female veela relatives and friends.

Hermione had whispered to him that the role of _'Intentus Specialsissimus'_ typically fell to the closest sibling or friend of the key member participating in the ceremony. And in this Duty it was known that this appointed person would take full responsibility in justifying the various virtues of that particular family member to the bride's/groom's family. In short, it fell to Ron to convince and be accountable for the impending Union, and to insure that no deception was employed he would have to consume a watered down portion of Veritaserum.

The weakened Truth Potion would obligate the drinker to speak only the sincerity of his or her heart and mind towards all subjects they was asked upon. It also meant that if any unfortunate incident befell both Bill and Fleur after they had produced a child together then it would fall to Ron, and whoever Fleur's '_Intentus Specialsissimus_' was, to raise that child in the fashion that both the parents would have wished them too. It was as the Bookworm shared these words with him that he realized that Sirius was possibly his own mother and father's 'Intended Individual' at their wedding twenty years earlier. And with this realization he now knew the deeper responsibility and the trust being offered to Ron at this time, for he could recall the Bond his late Godfather had for him and the various lengths Sirius subjected himself to in order to try and keep him safe.

During the proceedings, Ron would be taking full responsibility for the character of the 'Intended' as well as for the marriage itself; if any failures were to arise in the future it would fall squarely upon Ronald Bilius Weasley's shoulders to accept the blame. So for him to accept the privileged post of being a '_Intentus Specialsissimus_' was a respected and fearful position to assume and he knew why his best friend was awed at the suggestion.

Bill's offered explanation to his family for selecting Ron was due to the various compulsions of the truth potion. Bill, had thought Charlie as being far too 'rough' for the sensibilities of the Delacour's. Percy would have been considered perfect for this role as it so happened the third eldest son loved assuming formal positions of privilege and respect. But presently amongst the brother's and sister of the Weasley's, the name – 'Percy' was pretty much considered a four-letter-word. And given that Percy knew of his disfavor amongst his siblings it was uncertain whether or not any words that exited his mouth under the thrall of the Potion would be pleasant ones. The Twins' were also, due to their unique sense of humor, thought to being a poor choice for such an esteemed position, and there was also a care as to who amongst the two would assume the role. Fred? Or, George?

That just left one lonely male member to shoulder the unenviable burden of convincing Fleur's mother and father that his elder brother, Bill, would be a fine inclusion to their family. And even though Mr. and Mrs. Weasley considered themselves _'modern'_ by all Wizarding standard's and had already come to accept Fleur as a member of the Weasley Clan, the Delacour's were not as flexible to the changing times as they were. And as the Weasley's did not wish to offend the sensibilities of their future In-Law's they conceded to the humble request of conducting the ancient and traditional wedding.

The French Wizarding contingent was from an old and aristocratic pure-blood family and as such any union between family members's had to follow the entire timeless acceptance of 'the joining'. Ron was expected during the ceremony to stand in front of the marriage alter and drink a portion of truth potion. With this concocted-compulsion to speak only words of honesty to all who asked him questions, he was too convince the bride's family of the positive contributions Bill would make to their Kin.

The effects of the Veritaserum would linger for sometime after the ceremony, and as such, during the proceedings that would follow the exchange of vows Ron would have to stay present and besides the Delacour's answering any query posed by them. At any time, from the beginning of the ceremony to its conclusion when the Bride's immediate family left the venue, the marriage could be annulled if that family felt that there existed no compatibility between the joining brethren or if an element of doubt for their child's well-being was in question. It was Ron's task to keep the mother and father confident that the respected Groom was indeed the finest choice for their daughter.

Fleur's chosen maiden was of course her closest sibling, and as Fleur's only had one it was an easy choice for her too make in comparison to Bill and his five brothers' and single sister. Harry remembered with fondness Fleur's younger sister, Gabrielle, from years earlier when he and Ron had rescued her from the Mere-people in the second challenge of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

At the time she was a 12-year old girl with a twelve year old girl's physical frame. Very little however, could prepare him or Ron for the wonders of puberty though. Three years had past since they had both last laid eyes on her, and those three years made all the difference in the world. When Gabrielle arrived the next day for the ceremony, gone was the lithe body that he and his best mate had cradled in the cold lake of Hogwarts. Fleur was only half-Veela, but Gabrielle was FULL-Veela, and Harry had to confess that it easily showed. Fleur was stunning and radiant, but Gabrielle placed Bill's beautiful bride to shame.

It was an amusing sight to watch as Ron offered his brother to the Delacour Family and do his best not to become distracted with the Veela-Maiden's standing opposite to him. It drew snickers from the Twin's, giggles from Ginny, and an odd laugh from himself, but Hermione remain solaced and unimpressed by what she was viewing. Yet despite the reactions, Ron, made it through the proceedings, and Fleur's family were accepting of the qualities Bill possessed and offered their acceptance to him joining their family, just as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley did the same for Fleur at Gabrielle's encouragement _(though this was always a safe bet)_.

The rest of that day progressed smoothly, the only cloud over head was that Ron had to sit at the Head Table with Bill, Fleur, Fleur's mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and of coarse with his composite – Gabrielle, sitting right beside him.

It was also a tradition that as one of the two _'Intentus Specialsissimus'_ Ron could not socialize during the festivities with anyone other then his direct family, or Fleur's direct family. This was a disappointing institution that helped bound the 'Wizarding Clans' to one another and cemented the understanding that they were now not two-families anymore, but one whole.

This made for a very tedious evening at the Potter/Granger Table as it meant the muggle raised pair missed the unique insight Ron always offered them towards the Magical World in which they chose to now live. What was wondrous to them was common place to Ron and he always offered explanations and histories with a humorous flare. As it stood, both he and Hermione spent much of the party silently witnessing the other's having fun. That was another annoyance that Harry had come to resent within himself – he was not a fun guy. Ron was always the life-and-passion of their little group. Take Ron out of their equation, and well, he had to confess that Hermione and himself could hardly be called the 'life of any party'.

This silent realization plagued him as watched Ron tell stories and engage in jokes with the Delacour's. Making toasts and helping strengthen the connection between the two Pure-Blood Families. It was pretty obvious to Harry that Ron's table was the 'Fun-Table', and that his own seemed to be one that mortician's would be comfortable dwelling at.

The dancing at the festivities was intoxicating, but neither he nor Hermione engaged in this 'frivolity', as Professor McGonagall would call it. Ginny was the only girl, Harry, wished to dance with. But since their separation a month earlier, the Boy-who-lived felt it would have been an inappropriate suggestion to make to the girl whose heart he broke. And even though Hermione did receive the odd offer to '_tread-the-light-fantastic_', she declined them all politely. And Harry couldn't help but consider that like himself there was also only one person she wished to have her arms wrapped around, and this person was sitting three-tables away.

Ron, however, did dance. But because of the traditions invoked by being the _Intentus Specialsissimus_, he was not allowed to dance with anyone that night but his respected opposite. And as far as Hermione was concerned, Gabrielle loved to dance far too much for it to be considered 'normal'. With a glare that was very familiar to Harry, the Boy-who-lived, watched Hermione look uneasily in Ron's and 'Gaby's _(as she was now being referred too by the Bookworm)_ direction whenever they got up to share a dance with the Happy Couple – Bill and Fleur. At any second, Harry, was expecting a swarm of magical yellow canneries to be beset upon the pair. Thankfully, this did not happen.

When the function was over, Ron had to stand up once more and take on another responsible role and escort, via Port Key, Gabrielle and the Delacour's back to their Castle in France. It was during this quiet moment that Bill and Fleur circulated amongst the guests and offered their thanks for their attendance prior to them both leaving to Greece for their Honeymoon.

When Bill made it to the Potter/Granger Table, the 24-year old male was all smiles. And it was in this happiness that the present seeds of hostility between Ron and Hermione were sown.


	2. Cause & Effect

_(Flashback)_

"_Well, Harry, Hermione. I hope this little Hullabaloo of mine was everything you both thought it would be." Bill paused for a moment to allow the attention of both his welcomed guest's eyes to settle upon him before he continued in his address of the pair. _

"_True, it probably wasn't as grand as what the new In-Laws of mine would have wanted, but by Merlin if ickle-Ronnikins efforts this afternoon didn't more then make up for their disappointment. Did you see 'em, Harry? He had them practically eating out of his hand. I swear on Morgana's Ring that if you looked hard enough at his palm you'd might even actually see their teeth marks." With this snide comment at his new extension of his family, Bill, let loose a deep and giddy laugh at finally being free of the scrutiny of his new bride's overbearing parents. "Y'know, I'm almost sure they want Fleur to now annul me and marry him." Bill then released another carefree laugh at his joke as he sat down to join the adopted Weasley children, easily ignoring the frown that quickly forming on Hermione's brow with his last statement._

_Harry, however, couldn't help but smile at Bill's excitement and happiness. Though he never spoke of it to anyone, he felt very guilty of the werewolf injury caused to Ron's elder brother a couple of months earlier and he was finally glad to see Bill laugh again with a genuine mirthful twinkle in his eye. As if noticing the lull in dialogue, the Boy-who-Lived contributed quickly before the silence became uncomfortable or thought by the new Groom as dismissive on the parts of himself and Hermione and then cause Bill to move onto another table. With haste he nodded in agreement to Bill's words seconds earlier, as it so happened his own observations seemed to have supported this claim as well. "Yeah, I think you should be careful there, mate. That bloom of yours might be well and truly off your Rose." A cheeky smile grew on Harry's face as the Bride-Groom's expression dropped a fraction to this thought. So with equal quickness Harry tried to recover the spirit that was soaring carefree only a moment before. "But your right, Bill, Ron sure took to the task didn't he? Who knew he would have thought such nice things about you when he made his speech?"_

_Bill barked out another free laugh as he lightly punched Harry's shoulder in brotherly fun. "I didn't for one, that's for damn sure. When Fleur asked me to pick lil Ronnie, for 'Best Wizard' the night-before, I was stunned stupid. You see I had promised Charlie years ago that if I ever did get hitched one-day that he'd be mine and in doing so he made the same oath that I'd be his. But I'd tell you what, Har, despite my earlier reservations and argument to the effect I'm now glad I succumbed to her suggestion. Regardless of that beautiful bride of mine's motives, Ron, truly shined today, and he came through for me like a champion."_

_Harry smiled with a warm bit a pride on behalf of his dearest friend. Ron rarely received praise, especially from his brother's. Typically they just called him a git or a prat and Harry knew that both Bill and Charlie were two of Ron's personal heroes and role-models. Crossing his arms across his chest and leaning back in his chair a smirk played on Harry's lips as he came to his friend's defense. "You're surprised? Bill, if there is one thing I know about your brother it's that he's got depth. What he let's you see of him on the surface is not all of who he is and what he's all about. Ron can surprise and he usually does."_

_Bill placed his hand on top of Harry's mop of hair and rubbed it vigorously, messing up the be speckled boy's carefully combed strands. "You don't have to tell me this Har, that 6'2" pipsqueak could consistently best me at Wizard Chess by the time he was six. There is a lot more going on between his ears then we ever give credit for. And you know what I think? I think he likes it like that. I think he likes it because there's no pressure on him to do anything else but to just coast. If people don't look to him for a solution or an answer he doesn't have to worry about finding one. That's one of the reason's why I think, Albus made Ronny a Prefect. To get him to finally stand up and take more responsibility to those about him. I'm sure there were other reasons as well to Ronnie's appointment, but I think it always secretly infuriated Dumbledore that Ron never tried to excel more then he usually did."_

_Harry suddenly became very interested in this line of discussion. For years he had known of the high regard Professor Dumbledore had held for Hermione's intellect, but he could not recall the aged Wizard ever commenting on Ron. Harry made a sideways glance to Hermione to see if she was going to make a contribution, to his surprise she remained still, almost in trance looking at the Head Table that stood several meter's away and a very vacant chair. Shaking his head in both amusement and annoyance, Harry, decided to proceed with this inquiry alone. "How do you know that?"_

_Bill rotated his hand casually like he was waving into a memory of yesteryear. "C'mon Har, I was a member of the Order long before you guy's got involved in it. Dumbledore would talk to mum and dad all the time about you and wherever you were involved so was Ron and Hermione."_

_Harry suppressed a smile at this revelation. _

"_Yep, Albus was always at a bit of a loss where Ron was concerned. He said Ron was unique and bared careful and close observation, he never went into what he meant by that, truth to tell, I think even he didn't know for sure. Albus always had theories about every little thing. And Ron to him was a walking enigma. I think that these concerns were frightenly shared by Mum and Dad too. I don't know if you've ever noticed it, Har, but where little Ronny is concerned, Mum and Dad are a little bit more prone to worry with him then they are when it's just the Twin's, me, or Charlie. With the exception of Ginny, who's the only girl in the brood, Ron receives more aggressive coddling and fretting then all the rest of us males put together."_

_Harry pondered this statement for a moment, and he was surprised when he discovered that Bill was right. The Twin's were always getting into trouble with their pranks but they were always quickly forgotten and forgiven. He always thought that this was just normal behavior. _

_Then there was Percy, the now black-sheep of the Weasley Children. Where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were concerned, if Percy was too walk through the Burrow door's the next day and apologize for being an Ass, then all would be forgiven by them. _

_When Bill announced he was engaged to Fleur, even though it earnt a negative reaction from Mrs. Weasley, she never voiced, or allowed other's to voice harsh opinions, to the happy couple._

_Yet, Ron wasn't allowed to break a sweat. And when he did, Mrs. Weasley, was typically on him like a shot asking what he was doing and what was wrong? Ron always received the harshest punishments for things that he and Hermione were always readily forgiven for and he was always more embarrassed then most when Mrs. Weasley would offer him that extra bit of love and attention then she would the rest of her children, typically at their amusement at the brother's discomfort. "Now that you mention it, Bill. I just notice your right. Why is that?"_

_With a shrug of the shoulders, the new Groom, just smiled a strange smile. "I dunno, Harry. And that's the truth. I used to think it was because Ron was the last Boy of the Weasley's. But something Albus once said in passing has me wondering different now."_

_Harry leaned forward further across the table to meet the eyes of the elder brother. "Why? What did he say?"_

"_Well he shut up when he realized I had entered the room, but he, dad and mum were chatting about what a difficult birth he was. And that Dad had tempted with things that he shouldn't of. I was only 5 at the time and Ron was still a babe in arms, but I remember that his arrival caused a lot of commotion. The mid-witch was going on saying 'that he shouldn't have been alive' that 'this was all wrong'. It stressed Mum and Dad out no end. And you want to know what?"_

"_What?"_

"_Now bare in mind this is just coincidence, but I heard Dad one day confess that when Ronnie came out of Mum and got his bot-bot slapped by the Healer that all the bulbs in St. Mungo's exploded."_

"_All?"_

"_Yep, all. Close to 500. The wanker's tried to fit dad up with the Bill to replace them all. Do you believe that, claimed that it was a magical surge emanating from the Delivery Room that didn't have the magical signature of the Healer and Mid-witch. Mum was in Ga-Ga land, and Ron was less then 10-seconds old, that only left Dad as the guilty party, and he swore black and blue that it wasn't him. Since then they were always more weary with Ron and making him angry or emotional, not that he needs any help in that department. Out of all of us, Ron's more prone to the negative emotions then others. The quick temper, the impulsiveness the ease to offend."_

_Harry's eyes became glazed with worry. "In the Muggle World, Bill, when I first started showing magical abilities, it always manifested itself when I was … emotional. I just thought that was the same for everyone who is a Wizard or Witch that a place like Hogworts is suppose to teach up a level of control so that we did not release magic by accident or without intent."_

_Bill shared the somber thought as Harry did. "It is. But not all Wizards exercise the same level as you, Harry. Me? I floated a jar of jam across the table when I was six, and Charlie? He made the leaves on that old Oak over there shed out of Season when he was all of seven."_

"_But do you really believe Ron made all the light-bulbs in St. Mungo's burst?"_

"_Of coarse not. At least, that's what I tell everyone. But since last year I've been thinking different. Did you know that Albus was Ron's God-father?"_

"_NO WAY!!!!"_

"_Yep. I only found that out after the prat ended up being poisoned on his birthday. Do you know how many Wizard's and Witches wrote to Dumbledore asking him to be the Godparent of their child?"_

"_No. Hundred's I suppose."_

"_Try thousands. You know with Sirius that the role of a Godparent in the Magical World is a very serious one. Could you imagine what type of pull you'd have if it was popular knowledge that the Greatest Wizard in the World was your Guardian?"_

_Harry looked down to the table cloth and contemplated this question, he knew the hype he received as being the Boy-who-lived, he could not imagine what it would have been like for Ron if it became known that Albus Dumbledore was his Godfather. He would have to excel in all his subjects just to be worthy of the honor. "Did he know?"_

"_Don't recon so. Hell, I only found out by accident. When I questioned him on it Albus just said that Ron was 'special'. And that from a baby he sensed something grand within him just awaiting the opportunity to burst out and reveal itself to all. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. Not like the rest of us Weasley's, Harry." Another light hearted laugh escaped Bill's features before he continued. "Dumbledore thought Ron was the diamond amongst a pile of coal." Bill surrendered a dry chuckle at the now surprised expression that was forming on Harry's face at the self put down of the rest of his brethren. _

"_C'mon Harry, lighten up. This is a wedding, not a funeral"_

_Harry's expression dimly changed, but it still maintained sadness at being reminded of funerals and the earlier mention of Dumbledore's name as well as the revelation that Ron had missed the chance of sharing something special with Dumbledore that he had with Sirius. Mentally Harry shock himself alert and asked the question that was now burning in him. "Bill. Why would Professor Dumbledore think Ron was 'special' or hide the truth from him? I mean aside from being a first-rate mate. What did Ron ever do to earn Dumbledore's attention other then get messed up in my adventures and the like? Has he ever done anything that, well, aside from St. Mungo's bulbs all blowing at once brings him that kind of scrutiny?"_

"_You're kidding right? Harry, First Year, Ron played and won in a Chess Game that he shouldn't have been able to win. But he did. He won a game that was supposed to be un-winnable. And he was all of 11-years of age when he did it too. You don't think that's going to raise a few eyebrows? He didn't dawdle whilst playing either; he did it all in a rush and under the wand. I'm sure if he wasn't pressed to get you to the Philosopher's Stone ASAP, Harry, he could have figured away to have won the game without him ending up in the infirmary. And then what does he do after? He went right back to that comfortable slot in his lesson's of being a mediocre student. _

"_I also heard from Ginny that in the final game the other year when Umbridge was in charge, that no-one could get a goal off him. C'mon, Harry, I read Fred and George's letter's home. According to them, Ron sucked big-time prior to that match, and then suddenly all the Quaffle's all find their way into his glove? Tell me Harry, you're a smart guy, what are the laws of averages on that?" _

"_Albus couldn't understand how a prat like Ron could show such creative brilliance, yet still only just get a handful of 'O's. He told mum and dad that he spent many hours trying to ponder that riddle. By Dumbledore's account, Ron should have surpassed Perce in the brain smarts department, maybe even Hermione. And that his magical intuition was off the scale."_

_At these supportive words, Harry, couldn't help but reflect on his life being Ron's best friend. There were times when casual information towards the wizarding world and its occupants came easily from him. Dragon's, Beast's of all sorts, Hex's, Spell's, History, he was also one of the first people to recognized Parcel-speak out of everybody else who witnessed it. And this was a rare language, and one that was not actively spoken aloud in company. It was only when Ron had identified the odd type of communication to him that Hermione was able to regurgitate what she knew from the reading of books. Considering the past, that was generally how it usually was - Ron would identify something and then Hermione would step in and offer her knowledge on the subject. But generally speaking it was always Ron who solved the problem first and he would then deflect the kudos to either Hermione or himself _

_What was even stranger then this thought was the notion that this was the first instance he had never decided to break down Ron's involvement before. Ron always seemed to be the silent voice in the background when they were discussing things. Yet when he did make a contribution it was always timely and full of his unique insight. _

_But these memories were beside the point at the moment, Harry felt as though Bill had just offered a level of critism to his old departed Professor, and he felt honor bound to defend the brave elderly mentor that surrendered his life for him. "Dumbledore was brilliant, Bill, if anyone could have figured out why that was – he could have."_

_Bill's somber attitude continued as he nodded his agreement to Harry's tribute of his old Headmaster. "Actually, Harry, I think he did. Find out I mean. And trust me when I say that I don't think it bought him any joy. Nearly a year prior to Snape killing him he was always on about Ron's potential in the private company of certain Order Member's and Mum and Dad, and then he just stopped clean. He wouldn't say a thing. Infact Ron became a topic that Albus avoided talking about altogether. At least, it was with us."_

_Harry was certain that this was the same time that Dumbledore began the Horcrux hunt and that he probably didn't want to burden the Weasley's with his woes or mission. But that wouldn't explain why his Headmaster would stop interacting with Ron's parents or chatting about other details surrounding their son's life. _

_Infact as Harry scrutinized his memory, he realized that there were very few occasions that Dumbledore actively engaged Ron in anything unless it had to do with himself. It was always him or Hermione who got the attention from the ancient wizard. Even on Ron's birthday when the male Weasley had gotten poisoned from a gift that was initially going to be delivered to him by Slughorn as a Christmas present the aged Headmaster avoided coming down to the Infirmary to ascertain on Ron's well-being. A strange course of action if what Bill said about Dumbledore being his Godfather was true. If it was either him or Hermione, Professor Dumbledore always wandered in and out to chat with Madam Pomfey over their respected progress. But when it was Ron? This was strange behavior considering how close he was to the Weasley family. Why would he exclude Ron in the little pleasantries, attention and care?_

_With the mention of Ron's name by Bill again, Harry drew himself out of his inner thoughts once more. "Anyway, sometimes a push isn't enough with Ron. Sometimes that guy needs to be shoved, and shoved hard." _

_With this spoken thought, Bill's, smile spread wider across his face as he kinked his head to Hermione who was still supporting a far away look in her eye. Since the moment the elder brother had sat down her eyes were distracted by the unoccupied third seat at the Head Table and they had refused to refocus on anything else. Bill's smile became more devilish and because of the scarring on his face caused by the werewolf attach a couple a months earlier, it looked more sinister then it was meant to be. _

_The elder brother then slammed his hand down upon the table hard for effect of purpose. At the unexpected noise, Hermione, jumped in her place and turned her startled head to the direction of the male Weasley. "What?!? Sorry??? I was ---." Hermione rattled her head clear of any previous thoughts and tried to catch up with the conversation in her memory. "Wait a minute, Bill, you said last night that Ron was selected because he was the only one you could trust in not messing it all up, now you're saying you--- you 'shoved' him?"_

_Harry and Bill nearly burst out laughing in union as Hermione demonstrated that she had not been paying attention to anything that was actually said in the minutes before hand and that she had made an erroneous connection to comments made before and just now. Only the shared desire not to embarrass the Bookworm saved her form being laughed at. Ignoring the tight-lipped smiles that were now present upon the two males Hermione asserted herself and continued with her line enquiry. "If you promised Ron's task to Charlie, then why would you go back on your word, regardless to what Fleur instructed you to do? What does Ron have to prove? And why did Fleur want you to pick him?"_

_Bill winced under the glare he was receiving from the 17-year old female. Suddenly regretting getting her to join in the discussion now. "Well, that bit about the other's messing it up; well that worry was pretty much on target, Hermy. I mean, could you imagine the other's doing as good of a job today under the compulsion of the Veritaserum then Ronnie??? Charlie would have told embarrassing antedates. Percy would have bored people stupid. And Fred and George would have turned the Marriage Goblet into a rubber-chicken just for a lark. Ron, really was the only brother I had who would take the position seriously and who I could depend on 110 not to offend or bore my perspective In-Law's. _

"_This had, after all, my future-happiness riding on it. Though Mum and Dad were accepting of Fleur, I'm almost ashamed to admit that the door didn't exactly swing both ways in that department. Since the damage done to me by that werewolf, they've been on the fence about Fleur's engagement to me. Hell, truth been known, they were already there even before the attack. I needed someone who I could count on to speak on my behalf and offer a favorable perspective of me. We Weasley's aren't exactly the Malfoy's or the Black's where social standing and wealth are concerned, now are we? And Ronnie has this tendency to always speak his mind and heart on matters and hold conviction to what he says. The fact that I knew he kinda hero-worshipped me only aided in my position for Fleur's hand. That would mean the Veritaserum would be less painful for him if he tried to be, err, 'tactful'. My younger brother might be a prat at the worst of times, but he always speaks from his heart and what he believes as the truth. "_

_Hermione grumbled out her agreement to the brother's reflection of Ron and her distain for the insult delivered to her and Harry's favorite Wizarding Family. "But it's not right. Just because you're not rolling around in gold and status like other Wizarding Families it doesn't mean you aren't good people!"_

"_I know that, you know that, and thankfully Fleur knows that as well. But the Delacour's are filthy rich, with status aplenty, and they wanted to make sure I wasn't one of those Muggle Gold Digger's. Look, I'd trust Ron with my life, just like the rest of my brother's and sister, minus one of course. But unlike them, I could only trust Ron with my future."_

_Again, Harry nodded in agreement, imagining what could have happened if one of the other brother's had assumed the desired role. But Hermione wasn't prepared to let the matter sleep. "Then why did you say Fleur insisted on Ron then in being your 'choice'?"_

_Rubbing the back of his neck again, just as Ron did whenever he felt cornered or caught doing something wrong, Bill drawled out a hesitant explanation. "Fleur was just trying to play matchmaker, Hermy, that's all. Not that my thick-headed little brother noticed the effort. You see, Gabrielle has a bit of a crush on my little bro'. Has been nursing one for years, apparently. Ever since he and Harry pulled her out of the Hogwarts lake together. It seems that Fleur and Gabrielle both share the same preference for males with red-hair. And Fleur thought that this wedding would be an excellent opportunity to push the two together. Given the romantic setting, the dancing, the music, and the fact that as both Ron and Gab's are our 'Intended Individuals' and that they pretty much had to both stay joined at the hip through the entire day sharing in the responsibilities of love … and they both happen to be single. In Fleur's mind all these desired elements should've worked in sparking something off between the two, or in the very least encourage the two to get to know the other better."_

_To his left, Harry saw in his peripheral vision Hermione swallow something hard in her throat. With a whispered stutter she asked the question that she was afraid too speak aloud but knew she had too. "D---d---did it? Work, I mean. He looked like he was having a grand time with her and you all."_

_A knowing smile crept across Bill's face. "I did mention he was thick, didn't I? Hermione, he was flattered by the attention he got, and the conversation he encouraged was polite and I got to say he was damn witty to boot. The stories he told of his adventures with you guy's had the Mr. and Mrs. Delacour and Gab's absolutely wrapped with attention. But I know Ron, and he was being just that – polite and engaging. I honestly think he's got his 'interests' elsewhere and that all of Gabrielle's efforts and Fleur's only came to naught."_

_Hermione's eyes widen with possibility. "Do you know with whom, I mean where his interests do lie???"_

"_Actually, yes, I do." Bill leaned further into the table and spoke into the female's ear like a conspirator. "And you can blame the remnant effects of the Truth Potion for that; it's only now worn off but earlier, you could have asked him any question and he would have answered it with complete honesty."_

_Hermione sat on the edge of her seat as she leaned in further across the table to meet Bill's softly spoken words. "And what did he say???"_

"_Well, he mentioned a girl's name too me, someone he likes a great deal." Bill then gave Hermione a very unsubtle wink. "But the poor prat thinks he may have messed his chances up with her because of what had happened last year between him and another girl. He's actually pretty doubtful if she will give him the opportunity of making right by her. He whined about how he ended up treating her and all, and that any man worth his word would never have dismissed their Heart over their Head where love was concerned. He got pretty poetic about it, too. Got Mum pretty teary eyed over the whole thing, she kept telling Dad that 'she was losing her baby-boy', but she was happy that the girl he had his heart set on was, in her considered opinion. worthy of it."_

_Hermione's cheeks went a rosy color as Harry tried to replay this supposed moment in his head, he had spent most of the day watching the Bride and Groom's table. And in his memory he could almost pinpoint when this moment had taken place as he could clearly remember a time when Mrs. Weasley looked as though she was weeping and Mr. Weasley was smiling warmly at what his wife's antics. He also remembered that this was the only time throughout the afternoon that Gabrielle Delacour looked annoyed._

"_So don't you go getting yourself all worried over ickle Ronnie's love-life, Hermione. Me and my Dad set my little bro straight and told him to stand up and be the man he proved himself to being today. To grow up and take responsibility for his past actions and his heart. True love is a rare discovery, but when you find it and you know its genuine then only a fool would put it on the proverbial shelf to deal with at a later date. And you know what, Hermy? He said that at the first practical and convenient moment he's going to make good on all the hurt he caused with her, and he's going to make a sincere effort to rebuild what was nearly destroyed."_

_Hermione looked nervously to Harry, and then blushed uncontrollably until it looked like her face was in flames. "Really? He's going to do that?"_

_Bill nodded and gave Hermione another reassuring wink and a smile that betrayed a knowing secret. "Ron might be thick, Hermione. But he always comes around in the end and he admits when he's done something stupid or wrong. After our little pep talk, I'd be surprised if the next wedding we all attend won't be his."_

_With this Bill looked around the garden searching out his beautiful bride. Smiling broadly when he found her chatting merrily with a distant Uncle on his mother's side, and whom he had only met a handful of times in his entire life. Never before had he ever thought he would feel this complete, this loved. Ron became his God today, and he would swear on Merlin's Wand that he would make this contentment he felt up to his little brother for helping him achieve this for him._

_During this inspection, Hermione, nervously strangled her napkin with an anticipatory expression on her face. But that was just before the next sentence slid from the groom's mouth to her and Harry's ears. "Yes, sirree, Lavender Brown isn't going to know what hit her."_

_With this cruel sentence, Hermione's, hopes all flayed away from her heart as she tried to grasp it's meaning. "LAV---LAVENDER!?!? B---but, Bill, she was awful to him. She treated him like he was her property. Are you saying you and your father both recommended that he goes back to that --- that --- Harpy-Cow of a girl???" Hermione became suddenly lost for words, which was a rare thing indeed. She then stood up and stared angrily at the lone Weasley male, holding nothing but contempt for him and his 'efforts' to council his youngest brother in her eyes. She then departed the table towards the Burrow's kitchen door in a huff. _

_Harry's eyes followed the bookworms back as she walked up the path, clenched fists to her sides. It was only Bill's soft laughter that distracted him in this concern-filled-observation. With an annoyed shaking of his head, the Weasley's adoptive son starred his own visual daggers in Bill's direction. "He didn't mention Lavender's name at all, did he?"_

_Wiping a merry tear from his eye, the newly married male disagreed. "No, Har. He mentioned her alright. When, Gab's, was starting to get a bit too forward in her interest with him. He told her, whilst still under thrall of the truth potion and in the politest way possible, of a girlfriend he had last year called Brown, and how their behavior was nearly identical to each other. Saying that it eventually tore the relationship apart with her clingy-needyness. Gab asked what it was that he was looking for then, and --- well, again under the Veritaserum, I'll be damned if the description he gave of his ideal mate didn't fit our little Hermy too a 'T'. _

"_I mean don't get me wrong, Harry, I've known for a while that Ron was carrying a torch for our Hermione. But I don't think he ever openly admitted this until now, well, at least not to me. He might have been a little more open with you. And I was just seeing if Herm, felt a little of the same for him as well. And by the looks of things, she does."_

"_You could have asked me, you know. I would have told you. You didn't have to go teasing her. I know how they feel towards each other even if they won't admit it."_

_With this said, Bill, suddenly became very serious to Harry's disgruntled statement. "Yeah, but what good would that do if both of them is in denial, Harry? Ron's thick, and Hermy is stubborn. They both need to confront these discoveries on their own. They can't be told what is already plain to everybody else. And they aren't the kind of people to surrender to love like 95 of the population. No, Har, with the likes of Ronnie and 'Mione, they have to fight for it. And maybe now, they will."_

_Harry suddenly became more then a little annoyed at the older brother and his 'sageness'. "How can fighting help them discover how they feel towards each other? That's just mental. What they need is too be told."_

"_Then tell them, Harry. You said you know the truth about how they feel. When Ron gets back, pull him aside and tell him that Hermione has the hots for him and for the two of them wake up too themselves and just start snogging like crazy. I dare you. No, I double-wizard-dare you."_

_Harry fell silent to the challenge and down cast his features._

_Softly, Bill, spoke once more. "It wouldn't work, would it Harry? Look Har, as I said a sec ago - Ron's thick at times, but despite this he's not stupid. Same goes for Hermione. If the people around them start playing cupid they're gonna notice. And then they're going to go defensive, making it 20-times harder for them to accept their true feelings."_

"_I still don't know where getting them both riled at one another is a good thing. You're about to go off on your Honeymoon, but it's me who has to deal with all this now that you've got Hermione pissed at Ron. And he's the innocent victim. He won't know what he's done to get off side with her."_

"_Exactly. He'll go on the defensive, as she goes on the offensive. You just sit back and enjoy the show."_

"_What show??? I can do without the stress and the headaches, Bill. Trust me. It's not a show, it's a train wreak happening. I hate watching them fight, and me being in the middle all the time."_

"_Harry, if there are two things I can speak with authority on it's this. I know my brother, and I know women. These two care for one another, that's obvious to anyone with eyes. Even they know that on some basic and primal level. But they have placed up these boundaries around themselves as they are in fear of what could happen to their friendship if they cross that defense. _

"_While they are calm and collect, neither will consciously pass over that line. What you need too do is make them so upset with one another that this line becomes blurred and doesn't exist any more in their rational thought. Get them so upset that they let something slip that they can't take back. And there you are, it's out there in the 'open' now. And all they can do is deal with it."_

_Harry thought over his six-year history with the pair, and in all the times when the two were as close to confessing their feelings for the other it was always during some heightened emotional state. "But why, Hermione? Why make Hermione angry instead of Ron?"_

"_Harry, Hermy isn't angry. Right now, I wager, she's in that kitchen with mum, taking her aggressions out cleaning the cutlery and plates. Listening to Mum croon on what a great job her little Ronniekins did today and how handsome he looked in his new Dress Robes dancing away with Gabrielle. Not knowing that what Mum is really doing is psychologically nudging her into thinking what a good partner her baby boy would be. And as Hermione is listening to this she is a sad mixture of being scared and frustrated that other people are seeing this type of 'potential', that prior to this day she secretly thought only she could see. If she's angry at anyone Harry, it's at herself. But the person she blames for the feelings she feels will be Ron."_

_Harry tried to think of something too say too this, but his mind drew a blank._

"_Harry, Ron's my baby brother and I want him to be as happy as he's made me today. I'm not Fred or George. I'm not Charlie. I'm not trying to get a couple of laughs out of this. Hermione will take the bait, just like I'm sure Ron will. So you just sit back and wait for the inevitable. I just hope for her sake, Hermione, doesn't wait too long."_

"_Why?"_

_With a light hearted laugh, Bill answered Harry's question. "Well, Gab is a lot like Fleur. And when Fleur sets her mind to something she doesn't give up on it. Infact, I'd be surprised if Gab's hasn't by this time tomorrow thrown out all her hair brushes, and started reading every book in the Delacour Family Library. It was a big mistake of Ron's to tell her what kind of woman float's his boat."_

"_You really think she'll go as far as too make herself like Hermione? Just to get his attention?"_

_With a shrug of his shoulder's Bill conceded to Harry's double question. "Who knows. I've come to the conclusion in my time as a bachelor, Harry, to never underestimate a woman once they've set themselves a mission." _

_Harry sat in a stupor as Bill stood up, concluded the conversation and went to visit the other tables. Was it really that simple? Hermione and Ron fought all the time. Was it in this strange way that they truly expressed their feelings and passions? Recollecting his thoughts, Harry had to admit that some of the 'disagreements' nearly bordered on craze rather then hate, and most times they easily forgave the heated words that would exit the other's mouths. But was it truly that simple???? Did Ron and Hermione have too fight to the point that they realize their own feelings._


	3. Chapter 3

The Boy-who-lived leaned back in the private booth of the 'Three Broom Sticks', and not for the first time this day tried to hold back a foolish grin

The bickering drew Harry out of his pleasant revelry. And as the words flowed and did battle with one another across the table there was a hint of termination lingering in the atmosphere. Was today going to be the destined day? By Merlin's Beard he hoped so, for as amusing as it was to bare witness to this 'progression of passion', his nerves and sanity were slowly being worn down.

Bill was right. It had been weeks of agonizing silence and un-involvement on his part towards the two, but he could now feel the finality of the older Weasley brother's experiment burning it's closing minutes in the air before him. Hermione and Ron were both poised, on edge and fighting to maintain a forced and pleasant demeanor towards their on-going 'discussion' for his reserved sake alone. And this type of effort is not something easily maintained so there was no doubt in _'The-Boy-Who-Lived'_ mind that this tense charade of subdued feelings was quickly running it's coarse and about to be revealed to the light of day.

He was so certain of this stone cold reality that he would swear to any stranger in the Pub willing to take his bet that he would gladly eat his own wand if by the end of this very day that one of them hadn't slipped and confessed their love to the other. At the moment his money was on Ron as Hermione, as always, provided a cool detachment and Ron was in more speaking-before-thinking mode.

No doubt about it, Bill was a certified genius. Too often he, or someone else, interjected early into the arguments in order to play the grateful Peacemaker to the warring pair. Maybe if this strategy of 'distance' had been employed years earlier by either himself or Ginny then these quarreling two would have achieved coupledom a lot sooner then seven six years of repression.

After Ron had returned from his escort duties of the Delacour's and Gabrielle back home to their Château in France, Hermione had began offering him the cold-shoulder. After an agonizing week it progressed to snide comments, and now all it took was an Owl to arrive with a _'special'_ letter from Gabrielle to enflame an exchange of sarcasm from the young woman to the bewildered red-headed male.

If Harry hadn't seen the bushy haired Honor-Student a year earlier, doing the very same thing when Ron was dating Lavender, he never would have thought Hermione capable of such passive hostility. And poor Ron was as clueless as he was then towards the reasoning of why she was treating him this way. At first, Ron, just rolled his eyes and absorbed the bitterness, making his own comments to Harry in loud-whispered tones, which did not go unnoticed by the primary female antagonizer, that it must be 'Her-time-of-the-month.' But as this 'time' continued to stretch, it was obvious that Ron was finding it harder and harder to justify her behavior and not to engage in Hermione's verbalized challenges.

Harry had to silently confess to himself that he was impressed at how well; Ron had kept his temper in check towards Hermione's various needling. It seemed to the _'Wizarding-World-Savior'_ that Ron's acceptance to being Bill's _'Best Wizard'_ had had a profound effect on the youngest son of Arthur and Molly Weasley. As it appeared, nearly over night, that he had grown several years' worth of tolerance and maturity. This new behavior and attitude of Ron's, however, only encouraged Hermione to believe Bill's earlier false words at the Reception that Ron was in the midst of finally _'growing-up'_ and was about to re-initiate his romantic liaison's with Lavender.

Harry had thought that the _'eruption of revelations'_ between the two was going to happen a week earlier when Gabrielle had sent Ron an Owl inviting him, and ONLY him, to Portkey to her Family Castle so that he could help celebrate her 16th Birthday with her. The owled-letter had made a special mention to Ron that both of her parents were to be visiting Germany at the time, and that she would enjoy his _'charming and stimulating company'_. The contents of this message were revealed and spoken allowed to Harry, as Ron was unsure how he should reply to such a _'special'_ invite and sought out his advice. His suggestion to the befuddled red-head was to politely decline, stating that present events did not permit. He went even so far as to suggest to Ron that he deflect the blame for this upon his own shoulder's, thereby as to not to hurt or offend the soon to be 16-year old girl with embarrassment for being 'obvious' with her approach upon Ron for spending the evening with him.

But this tactful approach did nothing to smother Hermione's wrath towards Ron for 'encouraging' a child of Gabrielle's age. Ron's only retort to her harsh accusations was surprisingly well made given how awkward and frustrated he felt at the time. He claimed that he was not encouraging anyone, and that the bookworm was, herself, a hypocrite for suggesting such. As Gab's, as the young Veela enjoyed being called by close friends and family, was at least a year older then she (Hermione) when she had agreed to travel to Bulgaria to spend her Summer Vacation with 'Vicky' Krum. This noted fact in her personal history hastily silenced Hermione; and it was a sight Harry thought he'd never ever witness. Hermione Granger losing an argument to cold hard facts.

With the discovery of the Horcrux two-days earlier, all past ills between the warring pair were quickly forgotten as they all rode a wave of enthusiasm and success. The Trio all happily returned to Hogwarts to dispose of the Horcrux over Dumbledore's grave (as a tribute to the sacrifice of the wise wizard), and Harry felt as though they were all finally making progress in this insane War with Voldermort. Sadly however, this peace was only short in life, for as they just entered the township of Hogsmede to further their celebration and triumph. A very familiar Eagle Owl descended upon the red-head male with another letter from its Veela-Mistress. Since that moment to now, the situation between the duo returned to a strained and tense one.

"WHY CAN'T YOU LET THIS GO?? By Merlin's Beard, Hermione, for the last and damnable time - there is nothing going on between us!! I'm not encouraging her, I'm not leading her on, and I'm not sending her blasted coded messages that could be interpreted other ways. She said she had a bad dream, and in it I was in it being hurt. You read the damn note yourself! She just wants to make sure that I'm safe and well in order to set her mind at rest. It's all completely harmless."

A bitter and sarcastic laugh escaped from the mouth of the frazzled female sitting across the table. "It's not harmless, Ronald, every letter you respond to offer's her the belief that you like her."

"I do like her. What do you expect me to do? Not answer? To just leave her hanging for a reply?"

Another high-pitch 'Ha' was delivered. "Oh, such etiquette. You never had this problem over the various Summer Breaks when I ever wrote to you. I think it equaled out to four letters of mine to every one of yours. And even then it was all dribble. Barely a paragraph of nonsense, talking only about Quidditch, your Mother and Holiday Assignments."

Ron's ears became more scarlet at this provoked statement. "Writing to her is different to writing to you."

"Really? Why is that? What makes it easy for her and harder for me?" At this heavy question, Hermione folded her arms in front of her chest defiantly, knowing full well she had just cornered Ron with her query.

"It just is, that's all. Look, she's sweet, interesting and … and … "

" Oh, so I'm not sweet or interesting, Ronald? I am so sorry that your obligation to me is not one based on anything you feel particularly partial too admitting a fondness for."

"I didn't say that, blast you! It's different. She's …. Gabrielle, well … she's …. "

" Built like a Norwegian Super Model?"

"Norwegian? She's French, Hermione, not Norwegian. Have you gone mental or something?"

"Can you be truly this oblivious? She's a young woman just discovering herself and your, to her narrow perspective of things, a 'Man-of-the-World'."

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione, she's only sixteen!! Yeah, I guess she might be a little bit attractive "

Hermione glared and words stuttered out of her mouth to how absurd she found the male's claim. "S --s- she's – _'A little bit attractive'_?! Oh spare me; you were nearly drowning in your own drool when you were dancing with her."

"She's a Veela, Hermione! That's what normal red-blooded blokes do when they stand opposite a Veela. They drool. It's a perfectly natural response in blokes. Besides, that was weeks ago."

"It was all of 12-days Hardly 'weeks', Ronald. Besides, Harry never behaves that disgracefully in front of them. So your argument is a mute one. isn't it?"

"Well, hip-hip-Bloody-hooray for Harry, then. Listen - she doesn't interest me, Hermione. And neither does Lavender seeing as I know where this 'disagreement' of ours is going to lead. This stupid subject has been raised for the tenth-time in ten days, and I'm sick to death defending myself." Ron then drew down forcibly his mug of Butterbeer so that it made a hollow thud on the table they were sitting at. Expressing a desperate attempt to dominate this discussion which he was easily losing to Hermione. "By Mordred's Fury, woman, I can't keep having this paranoid argument with you over my non-existent love life."

Even Harry, knew by this stage that things had just gone too far, Ron was suddenly channeling his father, and as expected Hermione was assuming the demeanor of Molly Weasley. "EXCUSE ME?? Did you just refer to me by my sex, and not my name?!"

"Yes, I did. Because for the umpteenth time, Hermione, I'm tired of all this. We were supposed to be celebrating, not insulting each other. And I'm dead tired of wasting my energy explaining myself to you. You! Of all people. Lavender and me are officially over, and Gab's is now officially family and to the best of my knowledge all she is trying to do is bridge the gaps between her wizarding clan and mine."

Hermione placed both her hands on her hips and scowled at the enraged red-head in her presence, refusing to back down now that her ire was well and truly up. "You cannot possibly be that naive, Ronald."

"Look … even if her interests in me are questionable, as you repeatedly claim they are, it doesn't change the fact that I'm not interested in her."

"What's the matter, then? She not pretty enough for the great Ronald Bilius Weasley?"

Ron sighed heavily and stared into his half empty mug doing his best to gain strength in the moment and not succumb to his inner emotions of being taunted with his middle name. "When, Hermione, did I ever give you the impression that looks matter more to me then the person themselves?"

Another bitter laugh escaped her lips that made both the _Boy-who-lived_ and Ron wince under its implied application. "Oh, I don't know Ronald, maybe when you were looking for a date for the Yule Ball, and all of last year when you were parading Lavender around like the _Quidditch House Trophy_ for all the School to see."

"Yeah? Well maybe I've learned my lesson from those experiences. Maybe … maybe … ahh, sod it." Ron lowered his head, and stared intently into the wood of the table. His very demeanor was now one of complete surrender, from the blunt tone of his voice to the heavy movement of his body. This change in presentation from fiery defiance caught Hermione off-guard and in this instant her features soften towards him showing in her formerly harsh eyes mercy against her male adversary.

"This is all pointless, isn't it? If what you say is true then what's the use? To you, 'Mione, I am nothing but a first-rate prat and that's all I'll ever be, isn't it? It doesn't matter that I read to you aloud all the letter's, Gab's, sends me. Or that I run whatever I've written to her through both you and Harry before I Owl it on. It doesn't matter that I'm trying to demonstrate to her a little sensitivity with her crush. And yes Hermione, I am not so naïve as you claim, that I can't recognize that she has a crush on me. But I swear I have done nothing to encourage it. But then again you already know that don't you? Because you practically help me write my responses to her. I'm not keeping any secrets, or concealing anything from you. Yet you still you cast me as some kind of perverted letch.

"I suppose it would be easy for me to do what you are asking me to, and that is to write her one of those _'Dear Jane'_ things. But you know what? I'll be damned if I'd come straight out and break her heart any faith in the concept of '_Love_'. Telling her that I'm out of her league or that I have no feelings for her whatsoever. I have lived for too many years with that same thought and y'know what, 'Mione? It's a hideous feeling to have gnarling inside of you and I will not subject, Gabrielle, to this same horrid realization I had. I may have the emotional depths of a teaspoon, Hermione, but I'm not Draco Malfoy. Given time and plenty of avoidance she'll eventually come to her good senses and realize what you obviously have. And that is that I am a Lost Cause, a louse and not worthy of knowing beyond their name."

Ron pinched the bridge of his nose as he continued to stare straight into the table in front of him, refusing to raise his eyes or offer a pause sufficient enough to be interrupted.

"But you want to know something, Hermione? Something deep, dark and pretty bloody pathetic on my part? I happened to have actually liked the attention she was giving me. I'm not like you, or Harry, I don't have World-Famous Bulgarian Quidditch Player's wanting to suck face with me. I don't get Owls from strange women asking if I would marry their niece, daughter, or granddaughters like the ones Harry does. I'm just me. A nobody. A sad and dim bloke without any grand destiny, fascinating history, brains, looks or a ton of gold in a Gringott Vault that I know anything about. I come from a family so poor that the clothes that I am presently wearing and the shoes on my feet have been worn four-times over by other brother's. And that's all I have to my name, 'Mione. That and the understanding that I happen to be mates with Harry Potter and a girl known at Hogworts as the Smartest Witch of her Age. This is my one and only positive claim in life. This is how people think of me when they hear 'Ron Weasley'. They say _'Oh yes, he's Harry Potter's and Hermione Granger's token-friend.'_ And you know what? I'm comfortable with this honor, because I can't think of anyone else's friendship I'd want more then you pair. But it's not easy, and sometimes, like now, that even gets tested more times then I like.

"Believe it or not, Hermione, I happened to have enjoyed the thought that there was someone out there _delusional _enough to think I was worth knowing, romantically or otherwise. It's nice and yes, it was kinda flattering and it sure as hell beats the alternative. And even though being with her was a slow death for me I DID actually like at times the fact that Lavender wanted to be my _'Girl'_. I liked that there was someone who wanted to be on my arm when I walked into the Main Hall for a meal. That there was someone who sat in the stands during our Quidditch Training Sessions who was there to support me, and only me. I liked the fact she used to bribe me for carrying her books to class in exchange for a little kiss on the cheek. Does that make me a vain guy. Hermione? Because if it does, then I don't care. I guess I'm vain then. But where is it written that only girls like to be appreciated and cared about?

"And before you open your gob to make another sarcastic comment on all that 'past' stuff, I want you to know that I've tried to learn from my previous _'romantic'_ misadventures. And I've tried to grow and tried to evolve. But still, whatever I try to do doesn't quite measure up good enough for you, does it? You'll always see me as someone that I was and not as someone I'm trying hard to become."

Ron then raised his head's angle and slowly turned it in the direction of Hermione forgoing the intense stare he was placing on the table and reaffirming it anew to the girl of his scorn. "I will not say this again, Hermione, I am not interested in either Lavender or Gabrielle except only as friends. People change, opinions change and time changes all things. You'll see, just as I have, that experiences make the person and that you cannot pigeon hole them forever because of past attitudes. But 'ell, I've been wrong before and maybe I'm wrong about this as well. Maybe I am all those things you say I am, maybe I cannot change who I am no matter how hard I try. But I am trying, and that should count for something. But obviously not for you. In your eyes I'm always going to be the same ole git, so what's the point in trying to better myself then? Because your smatter then I'll ever be, you know the score better then me as well. If there was a girl I felt something towards she'd see through me, like you do, like sheen of glass. And any declaration I would make to her would probably be just a damn wasted effort, wouldn't it? Cause I'm sure before I open my trap on the subject that she'd already have made her own mind up about me … just like you obviously have. And I would much rather avoid looking like a first class ass in her eyes, at least not any more or less of an ass that I am probably already to her."

Ron Weasley then raised his mug and in one fluid motion drained it of it's contents of Butter Beer. "I'm now off to the Bar to get another drink and … and to maybe calm down a bit. You want any, Harry?"

Harry Potter sat stunned but shock his head in the negative. There was not the raising of a voice, or the flushing of his best friends face as he spoke them that would have been expected after years of knowing him. The words that exited Ron's mouth were ones of impact and had been spoken to fullest effect without losing himself in emotion. So captured by Ron's contained and respectful rant and his steady presence as he walked away from the Booth that he did not notice the effects of these spoken sentences were having on the one it was directed too. It was only as Ron joined a crowd of awaiting patrons that the _'Boy-who-Lived'_ eyes moved towards the young female. And what he viewed was the polar opposite to the restrained rage the young woman had been displaying 50-secondes earlier.

Ron's sullen declaration caused Hermione's shoulders to sag and the voice that she spoke with now was devoid of any edge in tone that had earlier existed. It was soft and weak, almost … pathetic. And it was because of this soft weakness that her words failed to stir the attention of Ron as he had strode towards the bustle of the bar out of reasonable earshot. "I'm …. I just … I just …"

When the red-head male did not react to her faint plea her eyes began to water with glassy transparency. Awkwardly she turned to her male friend with worry and desperation etched upon her face. "I don't think that, Harry. I-- I don't think he's a lost cause, a louse, or a first rate prat. Well, maybe a prat at times, but not a first-rate one. I don't -- I just don't. He doesn't really think that I think that, does he, Harry? Because I … I just … I just don't." The stalled tears now began to flow as a sound of soft sobs could be now heard.

Harry shifted himself around the table and sat where his best male friend had recently vacated, stretching his hand out to grasp the now shaking one of the girl who was like a sister to him. Drawing her cold and clammy hand closer to his body as she released her sadden emotions into the sleeve of her free arm.

"I know that, Hermione. I feel the same. I could never think less of Ron. He's my best mate. I know that there are whispers around Hogwarts, and I know that people only really know him by his association to me and you, and not on his merits. But you know what 'Mione? That's their loss and I'm just glad that it's not ours."

Mr. and Mrs. Granger's pride and joy spoke muffled words that Harry's ears could barely detect and identify. "He's right though isn't he? I have been checking his letters, just like he said I have, and he hasn't written anything to that … that Lolita _want-to-be_ which would offer her any thought that he's interested in her in the same way she's obviously interested in him. He's been both appropriate and considerate of her feelings, and he's absolutely right - _all I've been is awful and horrid to him about it_. I've been short-tempered and impatient. And he's just accepted it all. The only time he's ever gotten riled at me these past weeks is when I verbally attack her. Her or Lavender. And I can't help that, Harry. I just don't want him to make another dreadful mistake like he did last year with _Lav-Lav_. I'm only looking out for him, can't he see that?"

Harry tilted his head and sympathetically peered down on the crop of bushy brown hair as fresh sobs were heard, smiling inward to the name _'Lolita'_ and wondering what it was in reference too. If only her or Ron could hear their own insult's at times and viewed them as jealousy and not bitterness, then this entire elaborate plan of Bill's would not have been needed.

"Yeah, well you can't really blame him, can you? Ron has that whole Knight-Complex thing going, doesn't he? Always has, ever since that Chess Board in First-Year. And in his eyes they're a pair of Damsel's in distress with a desperate need of someone to defend their honor from a certain Know-It-All Dragon." Harry gently squeezed Hermione's fingers to get her alert to what he was saying and to have her pay attention to what he was about to say next. "I mean it wouldn't be the first time he's gotten all defensive and protective towards a girl who's very special to him, would it? But from memory I don't think he's ever willingly done a single detention for Lavender by arguing with Snape in the middle of a full classroom, or suffered the unenviable pleasure of barfing up slugs all afternoon for Gabrielle, now has he?"

As Harry predicted, the tiny and methodical rocking motion of Hermione stilled. And when her eyes returned to the warm lumination of the table-scape they were red, yet at the same time suddenly full of expectation and a desperate hope. "Harry? Wh -- what are you implying?"

A smirk fell on the face of the young man as he looked at the young woman. "I'm not saying or implying anything, Hermione. And neither is Ron. Or you, for that matter. And I think that's the problem here, isn't it? Nobody is saying or implying a blasted thing."

With care the Bookworm pulled her stray hand from Harry's grasp and swallowed. She then quickly caste her eyes towards where Madam Rosmertta was serving drinks and took note that Ron was still a few moments from being attended too. "Harry, I don't understand what you are saying."

"Yes you do."

"No, I -- I can't. He -- he doesn't. He hates me, Harry. You heard him."

"Yeah, Hermione, I did. I've been hearing him for the last two-weeks, but have you? Because if you had I don't think you would have heard the term _'Hate'_ ever exit his mouth. I did however hear him say that he values your friendship on par with my own, which now on reflection has me a little peeved."

Panicky, Hermione's voice began to tremble with what her friend was trying to _'not'_ say to her but was making it quite clear to what he was meaning. "But what about this other girl he's interested in? The one that isn't Lavender or Gabrielle? Bill said "

"Bill was just getting a rise out of you; he is a Weasley after all. And he'd probably kill me for saying this and ruining his 'Master Plan', but the girl Ron was crowing about at the Bride-Groom Table wasn't Lavender Brown. And I think by now after the past two-weeks of putting yourself through the emotional ringer that you know who it is you truly want it to be, don't you?"

Hermione Granger's eyes grew wider with Harry's careful question. "But Harry, what does it matter what I feel, if he doesn't feel the same way about me any longer? I've just ruined everything."

The Boy-who-Lived passive and sympathetic expression spread to an open smile. It was almost amusing and very typical of Hermione to try and talk herself out of a belief that could not be supported with written cold facts. This was the moment he was looking forward too, and even though he couldn't help himself to come to the tentative couples rescue, he knew Bill probably would not hold any grievance for disrupting his experiment. He had held his tongue and endured the waiting for these past 12-days for just this valuable instant. And once this entire Hunt was over; and Voldermort was defeated, Harry, was going to nominate Bill for the _'First Order of -- well … of Cupid'_, or some other related nonsense. Hermione had finally kicked herself into gear and was ready to _'fight'_ for Ron. Even if this meant fighting a mystery woman who had happened to be herself.

Wiping her tear streaks away, Hermione responded to the male's grin with a humiliated tone. "What's so funny?"

"You! Hermione, trust me; there is no other girl for Ron. At least not as far as he's concerned. And there never has been for as long as I can remember. These past couple of weeks he's been letting his actions speak for him, Hermione. But every time he tries to do something different and thoughtful, the person he's trying to impress just bares down on him.

"Haven't you noticed that when he makes the dinner, you always end up with a little bit more on your plate then him and me? That he sets up your sleeping bag next to his? That he always wakes up a little bit earlier to relieve you of guard-duty so you can get that extra bit of sleep? Just because that prat has difficulty saying how he feels it doesn't mean he's not doing his all to show it to you."

"B--but he said he gives me that extra bit of food and sleep because I'm a girl and -- and that he sleeps next to me for -- for my protection if I needed it if Death Eater's broke our defense and found us unawares."

"And you believe him?! C'mon, Hermione, surely your not that daft?"

Hermione startled reaction to these words and question were to stare once more into her lap. All awhile her face began becoming a motioning mask of emotions and happy revelations. When her head eventually returned to level, it was brighter and full of optimism. "Me? You mean it, don't you Harry? You're not lying? I'm his -- he has a crush on me? I'm really the one Bill said he wanted to _'repair bridges with'_ at the Wedding? ME!!"

Harry laughed again at her reaction. "I think what he has goes far beyond a _'crush'_, Hermione. But your right about what you said earlier - It doesn't matter what he feels if you don't feel the same way he does, now does it?"

The young woman shock her head slowly, almost disapprovingly. "But -- but why? All I do is get on his nerves, point out his errors and boorish behavior and … and he always tells me what a pain I am or how bossy I can be"

Harry quickly interjected before the list got to long to counter. " And despite all of that he still worries about you, Hermione, and willingly spends time with you regardless to how MUCH you get on his nerves, doesn't he?" The 17-year old once more grasped Hermione's hand in his own, refusing to let her to pull away from him again. "I knew, Hermione, I just knew. Despite the obstacles that have existed because of my fate, that you two would have found each other eventually.

"He cares about you, Hermione. In second year when you got yourself petrified, Ron, visited you with me everyday. He would stare at you with pure intensity, as though his Will alone would be enough to revive you. I felt dead guilty about that, because unlike me, Ron wears his Heart on his Sleeve, and I don't. When he's in pain, or he hurts it's there for the whole world to see. Anybody who walked into the Infirmary back then could easily have seen how much you meant to him, Hermione. Just like when he got poisoned last year, everybody could see that same intensity and concern on your face as well."

The Bookworm shock her head once more, again putting up barriers and excuses in a sad effort to conceal what was evident. "He's my best-friend; of coarse I would worry about him. As much as I want to believe you Harry, what your saying is only "

"He said _'Err-my-knee'_. He was thrashing with nightmares, Hermione, and the only thing he called out was those three-unusual words. By themselves, nothing much, linked together though and they sound like --."

"STOP, Harry, please. Don't tease me with this kind of -- of hope. He doesn't --he can't. I'm just a -- a "

"What? What are you? Your beautiful, bright, caring, supportive, loyal, clever and sweet. Bring up Krum, Hermione, with Ron in earshot and you will see the same flash of jealousy that you have when the topic of Gabrielle or Lavender is raised. And whilst we are on the subject of jealousy – make any magical attacking canaries lately? Throw any Befuddlement Hexes at any Keeper's?"

"Cormac was an Arrogant-Ass and I didn't want him to take such a valuable slot from the Gryffindor Team, you know that Harry. Nobody at that Try-Out, aside from Ron, was more committed to you or our House, Harry. And nobody loves Quidditch more then Ron, if he lost out to that pillok it would have been a loss to everyone. You, Ron and Gryffindor. Ron deserved that position."

"Arrogant-Ass? Weren't you the one who asked that arrogant-ass to be your date to Slughorn's Christmas-do?"

"That was because I -- I --"

Releasing the wrist he had kept hold of tightly, Harry Potter smiled again. "because you wanted to hurt Ron for going out with Lavender. You wanted to send him a message and make him jealous."

Frightened, Hermione turned her head away in shame. "No -- I -- Merlin. I wasn't that transparent, was I?"

Harry laughed a gentle laugh, and nodded. "The question still remains though, Hermione. Do you care for him as much as he does you?"

There came an unbearable silence that seemed to stretch beyond seconds to hours. When words eventually escaped the female's lips they were soft, and doubtful. But they were spoken just the same, and in these words strength and conviction was earned to what was denied for several long years. "I do. At least I think I do."

"Good."

Small hands suddenly sailed over Hermione's mouth with a gasp of realization. "But, Harry, Ron just said that he wasn't interested in _'that girl'_ anymore. I did that. I just threw away all his interest in me."

Harry Potter exhaled another sigh. This was becoming like an episode of the muggle show 'Dawson's Creek' _(One of Dudley's favorite programs, primarily because he had an unhealthy interest in the Katie Holmes character)_. And he was feeling very much like Dawson to Hermione's – Joey and Ron's – err … Pacey. "He'll calm down, and by this time tomorrow, or the next, he would have forgotten his little blow-up. You know how Ron is."

"No, I have to fix this. I have to make it right, Harry. Not tomorrow, I need to repair this now! I don't think I could wait another 24-hours."

Shifting his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, Harry, looked intently at Hermione. "Then you got to say something. And I'm not talking apologies for how you've treated him. I mean you have to tell him square. The only reason I even decided to step in and help force the issue with you is because of how you were reacting to what Ron just told you. The hardest thing for me these past weeks have been to hold my tongue."

"Then what do I say?"

"Well, imagine everything you've ever dreamed Ron saying to you and just reverse it. He'll be so stunned that he won't have a chance to argue the point with you. And then you can take it all from there."

Hermione Jane Granger, closed her eyes and let lose her imagination trying to form the right sentences. When she opened them again they were focused with determination and she turned herself to face her partner in this deed. She then fluttered her eyes closed again trying to picture the red-headed male in Harry's place and began to rehearse what she was going to say.

"You exasperate, infuriate and torment me. Every day that I have known you I have also known a little too a lot of misery. But I would have it no other way, because despite the sorrows that come from being in your company on some days, there is joy that come with these precious experiences also. You make me laugh when I feel sad and you lift my spirits when I feel low. You protect me, even when I feel I don't need protection. Your shoulders are broad and comfortable and I always feel safe when you offer them to me to lean on. You have suffered, and I have suffered beside you. You are more then just a 'Best-Friend'. I know that you have had relationships with girls far prettier and more popular then me. But they say that _the heart wants what the heart wants_ and I believe this with every fiber of my soul, so when this whole business with, Tom Riddle, is concluded, would you consider going out with me? Even if it was just once, just to see if you enjoy it. Just you and me alone where we might both wonder the question if this is as _'Right'_ as I pray it would be.

"I suppose I could probably say to you that I love you, but I think you already know that by now. You don't have to agree that you feel the same, because I know that your shy about that kind of thing. But I happen to know now that you have strong feelings for me and I think that if we both denied what we both feel, and have felt for each other all this time then I think that the only victims would be us. So lets give US a chance, especially as it is US that we both want so badly to be. Well? What do you think?" Hermione opened her eyes to the smiling face of Harry, but suddenly her vision was drawn to the figure standing directly behind him. The figure of a young-red-haired-man with a mug in his hand who looked as though he just had his heart ripped from his chest.

Harry slowly turned his head to see what had Hermione looking so fretful all of a sudden. What he saw was the face of a betrayed man. Someone who was supporting the visage of a person who had just walked in on their own parents having sex and wished to hex his eyes shut to spare him from ever doing so again. Instinctively the Savior of the Wizarding World shot out of the booth and stood rigidly in front of his best friend totally aware of what this misleading spectacle could have certain people believe. "Ron, this isn't what it looks like. I know what it might look like, but it just isn't, okay."

Hermione found her voice in her terror and asked the question that was burning in Harry's own mind. "How … how long have you been standing there?"

The youngest Weasley male looked lost for a moment, and when he answered his voice seemed as haunted as his expression was. "From the part where you told Harry how much joy he brings you. I'll, umm, I guess I should … give you two some privacy."

"RON, wait!"

"For what, Hermione? So that you an' Harry can say _'Twos company and three's a crowd'_? Thanks, but no thanks. I may be a daft git at the best of times, but I'm bright enough to know when I'm not wanted."

There was no mistaking the mixture of hurt and bitterness carried in his soft tone and words. So much so that the _Boy-who-lived_ felt a deep pain of guilt at his involvement in causing it to his best friend.

Desperately the female tried to appease and recover from this terrible error inflicted upon her true subject of affections. "No, you've got it all wrong!"

"So you don't love Harry, then?"

"Of course I love Harry, but I also … I also lo … care about you as well. Only in a different way to him."

"Care, huh? Don't go doing me any favors, 'Mione."

"I'm not. I mean … look, maybe I'm not explaining myself correctly. What I mean is "

"No. I don't want to hear your explanations, or high brow justifications. You don't have to explain yourself to me, not that you ever have." Ron raked his fingers through his fiery-hair and it became apparent that he was slowly, but surely, losing his composure. "Afterall, when the topic of feelings and emotions are tabled, Hermione, lets face it, Harry is usually your first and only point of call. So why should I be even flippin' surprised that you'd want to date him? He's got depth and I'm just a bleeding teaspoon aren't I?"

As each word left his mouth, Ron's tone became edgy and raised, losing the surrender and softness it possessed seconds earlier due to his stunned discovery. But now all his emotion was starting to take over and it was like an ocean churning on a moonless night, you could feel and hear the torrent but you were blind to the magnitude of its power. "It's kind of funny, in a sick type of way. For day's you've been riding me ragged about my _inappropriateness_ to encouraging Gab's feelings. And in this entire time you've been lusting after Harry all the while. Just as you were lecturing me on conduct an' sending wrong and misleading messages you've been wanting some 'alone-time' with him?!

"Tell me; Hermione, what's was more important to you? Why did you really join this _Quest _of Harry's? Did you maybe see this as an opportunity for a bit of _'Hows-your-father'_ with the '_Boy-who-you-wanna-snog'_? Or was it, like me, to defeat that Egomaniacal Bastard Voldermort? Which one was it?"

If no-one in the Pub was paying attention to the little squabble before, they certainly were now. The mention of Voldermort's name aloud, spoken with such venom and hatred, caused a sharp gasp from the fearful and surprised expression's upon the faces of the more harder to impress clientele. Yet Ron's question to the female hanged open and vulnerable for seconds, surrounding itself in sudden silence of the Pub and leaving an affront upon the young woman's sensibilities. "How dare you!"

"I DARE, because I have nothing to lose. And when you have nothing left to lose, Hermione, you can dare all the bloody hell you want! My entire family is labeled Blood-Traitor's, 'mione. Do you have any real conception of what that term means? Do you?? Have either of you ever wondered exactly what penalties such a branding carries with Death Eaters?

"You and Harry weren't around in the last war, but unlike you pair I've lived with the aftermath of it. I heard the stories. I know what got done to the families of Blood Traitor's during Voldermort's last gamble for power, Hermione. In the eyes of his twisted mob to have been titled a Blood-Traitor is an even worse crime then being a Muggle-Born magic wielder. If Voldermort, Merlin's Ghost forbid, ever rises to power one day, all you lot have too fear is a quick death. For me, my mum, dad, Ginny, Bill, Fleur … Merlin, everybody who is even remotely linked to my family, my _Traitorous Family_, Hermione, by blood or by marriage will suffer a far worse fate at that mobs hands then you can ever know. So yes, Hermione, I-DARE!!"

After these angered words, Ron's line of sight shifted over Hermione's shoulder to the green-eyed male youth standing closely behind her. And though his words were still spoken to the female, there was no doubt in Harry's mind that they were actually being delivered to him. And for the first time in weeks, Harry, understood why the Delacour's were so hesitant in linking their name to that of the Weasley's and why the Weasley's were so grateful for this united gesture. "I have nothing I can call mine. Not respect. Not wealth. Not even the privilege of being from a bloody 'Pure-Blood' Family anymore. If I was to even perish tomorrow, who would mourn me besides my family and a few so-called-friends? What difference have I ever made aside from being labeled the designated Comedy-Relief in Harry Potter's Epic Story? Everything I have ever wanted has always been denied me. EVERYTHING! Even … even people. So what's one more line to that already bloody long list of mine? So yeah, Hermione, I DARE, because daring is the only thing I can do right at the moment, and daring is the only choice left that is truly mine to do!"

A pin could be heard dropping, not that anyone within the _'Three Broomsticks'_ would have dropped a pin. Locals, Hogwort Student's, all now a captured audience to this living drama. Some cast an expectant eye towards the bushy-haired female waiting from her a rebuff of some kind. They were left disappointed of a contributing dialogue. Her lips quivered and a translucent fluid began to cascade from her nostrils. On shaky legs she staggered into the chest of the young man who had just called her a hypocrite and then wrapped her arms around him tightly. Her face was buried so deep into Ron's chest it looked as though she might even cut her cheek on the edges of his buttons.

With shear force of will, Ron untangled her grasp of him and then forcibly, but carefully, pushed her off of him. "Careful there, you might make Harry jealous. And we wouldn't want that, would we?"

With dejection consuming her all, Hermione, now looked to Harry to offer her rescue for this misunderstanding. If Harry Potter knew what to do, then it certainly didn't show upon his face. A panic equal to Hermione's was now taking claim of him, he had only been on the 'outs' with Ron just once in his life and that was years earlier during the Tri-Wizard's Tournament. He doubted he could have dealt with something like that again, especially during the Hunt for Voldermort's Horcrux's. He needed Ron's friendship and he needed his trust. In a world where he could not afford to trust anyone, Hermione and Ron, were always an absolute cert. He knew with every fiber of his soul that he could depend on both of them with his life as well as seeing the Hunt through to the very end.

His voice was a nervous one, almost guilty as it cracked the air between the two young men. Doing his best to lay claim to a tense situation and offer some measure of control, Harry stepped forward and to command. "Ron, look lets stop acting like a prat. People are staring. Let's sit down and talk this through, yeah? You've made a bit of a mistake, that's all; it's not what you think. Hermione and I can clear this all up if you give us a chance and when we do, trust me you'll be all red-faced over all the nonsense you just spoke." Harry then extended his embarrassed hand out to help maneuver Ron back to the Booth they had all been sitting at minutes before. But with his gesture the unthinkable happened.

Later he would tell people that he _never-saw-it-coming_, but the truth is that Ron had telegraphed his intended blow well. Harry knew that Ron was about to hit him, where he was going to hit him and nearly just how hard he was going to be hit by him. But the reality to this future-lie of his was that even with all this data entering his perceptions a split second before, Harry, with his entire Seeker skills and years of practice, still had to confess that he wasn't anywhere near fast enough to have dodged Ron's punch.

A heated-numbness quickly conquered the left side of his jaw as he staggered three-feet back before he dizzyingly descended to the floor. An instant was all it took for Hermione to be at his side. Against it all she rushed and knelled down beside fallen boy to awkwardly inspect for any serious injuries aside from that of his pride and friendship of his Best Mate. In a darker place of his mind Harry had kind of wished that she hadn't done this _'Angel-of-Mercy'_ dash to him. The last thing Ron needed to see was her tears and her distress and interpret them as being caused by his assault upon her new _'Love Interest'_. Not that Ron would have registered this display as such, he was too busy shouting.

"Nonsense? Me and my families circumstance is now nonsense to you, Harry? Them who took you in and loved you like their own? Don't you fucken' touch me! Don't ever touch me, grab me or talk down to me like I'm an idiot, or your personal fool. Because I'm neither. You might always have people looking at you for bleedin' answers, but do you ever have a fucken' solution? And you think I'm a prat? That I'm an embarrassment? Do you really think I give a blasted Knut if these people are looking at me right now? Do you? Because at the moment I don't give Rosemary's Curse whose looking at me or what they're thinking."

As much as Harry wanted to remove himself from the floor, he felt that to do so would be seen as a provocation for Ron to take another swing at him. Which was something several onlooker's, who had probably not seen a decent brawl in a long time, were all hoping for.

Chanting, and other encouragements, echoed the room for the Weasley's baby-boy to fulfill the emotion of his words and to turn Harry Potter into bloody pulp. Yet strangely, instead of finding himself lost in this vigor of the small and loud crowd, Ron's supporter's only helped create the opposite effects of their desires. Their hostile cacophony only drew him back from the edge of his rage, and with something akin to a 12th Labor of Hercules, Ron, reached out his hand and pulled the _'Savior'_ from the floor and back to his feet in one ungentle and jerky motion.

This gesture appeared to be an amicable one to all who observed, but the pain of Ron's grip on Harry's hand only denoted to the _'Wizarding and Witch Hero'_ that a war was still being waged within Ron's soul. A fight between both his good and evil sides for dominance. And at present, Ron's _Angel_, appeared to have won out. But Harry wasn't naive or game to speak hastily and thereby give the _devil_ within the red-head any additional ammunition to emerge victorious. Ron had to speak first, and from his words Harry thought that maybe he could possibly invade the red-heads perceptions and convince him that he was in error over this entire matter. Unfortunately though, Hermione did not support the same common sense, or experience, that he did in addressing a frustrated Ronald Weasley. Instead she did as she always did whenever she viewed what she viewed as bullying. She provoked it further.

"Is that how you deal with things you don't like, Ronald? Instead of talking it through like an adult your first course is to thump it into submission instead? Is that how you solve your problems? Is this the peak-level of your intellect? That of a common thug?"

"So I'm a thug now, am I?"

"If the shoe fits, then yes. For only a thug, Ron, would ever disgracefully attack a friend without any due cause or justification."

"And what if they did feel justified, Hermione? What then?"

With a growing treble in her voice, Hermione arched herself up from the floor she had been knelling upon and took on a challenging form, standing chest to chest with the red-haired male. "Then friendship must always win out, Ron. Because sometimes you have to trust and have faith in your friends. Even if you're baser instinct tells you not too."

"Oh, so I'm _Basic_ AND a _Thug_?"

"That's not what I meant, or said, and you know it. But if you are so intent as casting yourself as some underprivileged mental-flop then far be it for me to dispel your self-delusion. After all, you do have that credibility. You are always lagging in your classes and always seeking assistance on the simplest of Assignments. And even with this additional aid you are only able to accomplish passing grades at most, so maybe you are correct. Maybe you are a mental-deficient.

"It makes sense, afterall, instead of applying yourself to an education that will offer you the security of a future. You always prefer, in its place, to skive off to play chess and chat about Quidditch. My, with such short-sighted aspirations it's no-wonder you failed your Apparition's License on the first try when all of your other brother's were successful with their Test the first time out. But then again something that requires a certain amount of refinement and discipline on the party of the user is obviously a trait beyond someone the likes of you."

"I got it eventually; besides, I wasn't the only one to fail on their first time, y'know. Just ask your _Boyfriend _there."

"You know, just as I do, that Harry does not have the benefit of being like you. Because unlike you, Ronald, he has more responsibilities and more pressures placed upon him. So of course with all that he goes through on a daily basis he'd have a little more difficulty with focusing his mind on such a mundane and simple test of concentration."

Harry didn't know what he hated more, the fact that Hermione didn't deny Ron's unsubtle 'Boyfriend' remark or that she had just insulted Ron with the same breath as she was elevating him to a demi-god status. If his jaw wasn't hurting like Dragon-Fire, and he could have offered more then just a sour-sounding groan, then he would have gleefully told his best female friend to SHUT-UP and to stop making things worse for everyone, especially HIM.

Ron dug both his hands in his pockets and glared. Hermione's chin angled upwards defiantly, awaiting another effort on his part to continue the argument that had well and truly taken a turn for the worse. It was hard for Harry to meet Ron's eyes, there was such a potent swelling of emotion within the blue that he feared what would happen if he became too lost in the mix of hurt and anger that lay resided within.

Whether it was Hermione's determination not to be swayed or his own not to add to the company of verbal errors that had turned a pleasant opportunity into a hateful one, Ron's demeanor shifted. With a gruff, yet soft utterance Ron turned his back on the pair and appeared to surrender to her challenge. "Fine, you both want each other? Then I won't stand in your way. It's not like what I care about matters with you anyway. And with what Harry will have to go through for us to even have a chance to win this blasted thing, well then who am I to not let the Hero have his spoils? So if either of you can only get through this nightmare with the other then … fine. Just don't do it while I'm around, that's … that's all I ask."

It was one of those rare moments when a person can clearly see the measure of the other. And in this moment there was no doubt that through all of the emotion being played out on Ron's features and through his voice, there existed a true love for both these people he was yelling at. And it could not be denied by any witness that this love was one that centered upon a single desire that these two be always happy, regardless of the pairing they undertook.

"Congratulation's, 'Mione, you've put me in my place and made it quite clear to me and everyone else in earshot who the better man in your opinion is. Well done, not that you losing an argument was ever any real doubt. I just wish you didn't have to make me feel like _shite_ to do it." With this said he turned to make his way back to the Bar, the crowd that had been so dense and silent all began to part for his journey to Ms Rosemerta drawing arm.

In this Hermione's hard expression melted as a defeated hunch formed on Ron's back as he walked away and tentatively she extended out her hand in an effort to grab a shoulder and swing him around to face her again. But before contact could be made a dark and malicious voice rose up from the Main Street outside.

"HARRY POTTER, THE DARK LORD DEMANDS AN AUDIENCE. YOU HAVE STOLEN FROM HIM LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT AND HE WISHES HIS POSSESSION RETURNED!!"

As one the Trio forgot their dispute and like a bulk of the other patron's they all darted to one of the few windows looking out. What they saw was a hue of yellow light covering the entire village of Hogsmede and six figures in Death Eater Masks standing central to the Township's Square.

"WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE WITHIN THE VILLAGE, HARRY POTTER. LORD VOLDERMORT'S EYES AND EARS CAN BE FOUND EVERYWHERE. AND YOU WERE NOTED ENTERING THIS TOWNSHIP LESS THEN 40-MINUTES EARLIER. REVEAL AND SURRENDER YOURSELF NOW AND NO-ONE WILL SUFFER DUE TO YOUR COWIDICE. STAY HIDDEN AND A LOCAL WILL MEET THEIR FATE SOONER THEN THEY DREAMED WITH EACH PASSING MINUTE. AND THEIR DEATH WILL BE ON YOUR HANDS AND YOUR HANDS ALONE. WELL MISTER POTTER? THEIR LIFE OR YOURS?"

A/N - If you like then Review ;-))))


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